So I’ve read pieces of more texts than I can remember today and one of them has gotten stuck in my head. I’ve read essays and reports and narratives and this and that and every other kind of text imaginable and do you know what got stuck in my head? An analytical exposition on the Raiders March (from Indiana Jones).

Okay, I’m at this conference learning about different text types and literacies and I’m actually finding it really interesting, when not being overwhelmed with content. What I need is a good month to sit down and digest everything because a lot of it is a rehash of stuff I already know but being told to me in new ways and mixed in there is new content and some of that is really, really important but is going to get lost somewhere inside my head if I don’t have the time to sort it out. However at the moment my real problem is I’ve got this John Williams song bouncing around inside my head.

The problem being that I studied this particular song when I was at school and also wrote an analytical exposition on the text so even though I only read three paragraphs about it today in the midst of six hundred other things (slight use of hyperbole) it is just stuck there and I’m remembering watching the movie, making notes, replay the scene, make notes, replay the scene make notes, watch the whole movie, make notes. It is one of those songs that I could recognise from two notes I’ve heard it that many times.

Other than that – why is this song stuck in my head? Because it is brilliant. It is the perfect song to create character and mood and it is used brilliantly within the movie. Why do we remember things? Usually because they are really incredible, really terrible or really weird.

Anyway – just a quick post because I really have a lot of reading to do for tomorrow and I do still want to do some writing this week (though I’m definitely not going to get much done as far as writing). I’m glad I’ve got some internet access and am able to check out some blogs this week because so far I’ve read some really interesting posts that I probably would have missed out on.

Hope everyone is having a great week. What songs are you getting stuck in your heads?

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11 Comments

“Why do we remember things? Usually because they are really incredible, really terrible or really weird.”

As an add-on to this (may not be relevant here, still something made me write), we remember things because they have a “name”. Sounds quirky, but is true. Ever noticed how the subconscious neglects what it cannot name? And the moment you put a label on something, the human psyche is quick to recognize–even though the thing is unseen, untouched–like auras. That’s human mind for you–full of wonders, eh?!

I get songs, text, and scenes from TV and movies stuck in my head all the time. As far as music goes, it’s usually something I recently heard on my iPod. At the moment, it’s “Paparazzi” by Lady GaGa (don’t ask, long story).

That’s the problem with good seminars and workshops and the like. You get so much good stuff – but you really need the time to digest and work through it all. I always worry I’ll forget about something great because of the lack of time.

The latest song I had stuck in my head is the Jeopardy theme song – we had a funny moment using it at school this morning – and it’s still there. 🙂

I always used to get the Jeopardy music in my head because my family would always hum it whenever anyone in the family claimed to be thinking about something. I haven’t heard it in years. Now I have that stuck in my head.

Someone’s blog post that I looked at today had a YouTube video about quotes for writers. It was like these quotes are going by too fast, some of them are kind of good and I’d like to meditate on some of them. I probably would do better listening to a seminar or speaker than reading a book about the same topic. It sometimes takes me so long to read a book because I start dwelling upon what I’m reading, whereas listening I’m forced to pay attention or I’ll miss something.
But I know what you mean.

Worse than having a song stuck in your head, is perhaps hearing a version of a song you enjoy be massacred. I’m thinking of Madonna’s remake of the classic ‘American Pie’.

If I had the time, I’d also consider petitioning against Qantas’ latest campaign for the A380. They take Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s haunting song ‘Now we are free’ from the Gladiator soundtrack and attempt to trade on its mystery.

The money would have been better spent allowing the artists commissioned for the project to come up with something original IMHO.